New Painting: The Bridge Home

"The Bridge Home" 10x10" mixed media on wood panel. Available. 

I love Autumn. It's one of those seasons where you never know quite what to expect... one day it's like summer, the next you wonder if it's going to snow. My favourite days are when there is a nip in the air, the sun is shining, and there's that crunch underfoot from the fallen leaves. 

I've been working on a few pieces using an Autumn inspired colour palette (see my last two posts). Ok, maybe I'm not quite sure where the teal fits in, but it does... brown, gold, red and turquoise just seem to say fall to me. The red oxide and the teal mixed together make a warm, muted green that I'm in love with. And for this piece I've included a metallic copper that I've had sitting on my work table for a couple weeks that just didn't seem to fit in the other pieces I was working on. I do love it though... it's got a rich, shiny glow that reflects the light wonderfully. It is not particularly easy to capture in a photograph though, so this piece does look quite different in person. 

I have decided to do an art calendar this year (watch my website for availability). It's been a few years since my last one, and I feel like my work has progressed to the point where I have a definitive, recognizable style. I didn't want to do another one until I got to that point. If I'm going to shell out the money to have the calendars printed (and potentially be stuck with them... do people still use wall calendars??), I want to be sure I'll still like to look at it a year from now. I want to be able to give one as a sample of my work and not be embarrassed because I feel it looks amateur. It takes a bit of time to get to that point. 

Abstract is harder than it looks. Well, maybe not just painting abstract. Technically, yes, anyone could do it. You slap some paint on and call it done... there you go. The first abstract painting class that I took was basically just that. But painting an abstract that works as art... well, not so easy. Composition is SO important. If you're creating a piece where your focus is something realistically drawn, a well done drawing can compensate for less than stellar design. The piece will still work. Not so much with an abstract piece. If the design isn't strong the whole thing falls apart. There may be interesting areas and a great colour palette, but it won't draw you in quite the same way. 

I have spent time studying work that I think is successful and trying to figure out WHY I like it so much. I've had help... I took a class with Lila Lewis Irving a couple years ago that really helped me, and I am lucky enough to be friends with Kevin Ghiglione, who helped me enormously when I was really, REALLY frustrated. I am trying to pay it forward by helping people who are a bit behind me on the path, by sharing what I've learned. Because I do believe it is a skill that can be learned, and that "talent" really doesn't have much to do with it.